• Decent safety kit tally
• Driver assistance can be added
• Safe car for families

Given that the official safety organisation, Euro NCAP, has awarded the car a full five stars, the Q3 is a safe car to drive. It comes with the usual array of safety kit including stability control, two front airbags, thorax-pelvis side airbags in the backs of the front seats and curtain head airbags and hill hold.

There are a number of optional safety extras available on the Q3 that give it that added feeling of security. There’s Audi side assist, which is essentially blind-spot detection that flashes a light when a car is coming up the side of you.

Then there is also active lane assist that helps the driver steer back in to the lane if the car goes over the line without indicating and speed limit display that reads speed-limit signs and shows them on the central trip computer.

• Compact exterior means interior isn’t huge
• Space for four adults and usable boot
• Taller passengers may struggle for space

Passenger space in the front is nothing to argue with, with plenty of headroom and legroom and space to stretch out in.

It’s a mixed bag when you jump in the back seats, though. If there’s nobody too tall in the front, legroom is acceptable. However, if there’s a taller person in the front and you’re a taller person yourself sitting in the back, things get more cramped due to a sloping roofline.

It’s best in the back for kids, then, as the shape of the door is quite narrow, while the middle seat is best reserved for smaller passengers, too.

The Q3 is a compact car, and is barely longer than a regular A3 hatchback. That means it’s easy to drive and manoeuvre around town with good forward visibility. It’s not particularly wide, either, meaning fitting into tight spaces is easy, too.

However, the main gripe with the Q3 is the slightly protruding rear-end. It slopes quite dramatically which you notice if you look at the car side-on. It means that if you use the rear window as a gauge for where the back of the car is, you need to be aware that the lower part of the back of the car sticks out more than the top.

It’s not a big issue though, as the Q3 comes with rear parking sensors as standard, or you can add a camera as an optional extra if you want some more peace of mind.

Boot space is good with 460 litres on offer, although this does change depending on whether you have a space-saving spare wheel in the back or not. If you do, it falls to 420 litres.

The rear seats split 60/40 and this extends the space in the back to a possible 1,325 litres. There’s little intrusion from the rear wheels as the side walls of the boot are almost completely flat.

Annoyingly the rear seats don’t fold fully flat – they sit a little raised – but this shouldn’t cause too many problems and there’s still a good amount of room on offer.

The loading lip is relatively high so getting heavy items in could cause issues for some, plus there’s the protruding bumper to contend with. Buyers can also opt for a fold-flat front passenger seat making it easier to carry even longer items like laminate flooring packs.

The cabin does feel a little tight for space, but the usual storage spaces like door side pockets and glovebox are of a decent size.